“It’s not… just about wanting justice for him.” Or making the screams stop.
Her screams because Carter hadn’t even had the chance to scream. Or to call for help or—
“Revenge can twist you up. Destroy you from the inside out.” He wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were on Kenton as the guy paced back and forth, talking fast to someone on his phone.
Revenge. “But sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps you going.” When you thought about lying down in a grave with someone, you needed something to live for.
“I want the bastard to pay.” She wouldn’t lie or spout some high moral crap. “I want him to burn.”
“I suspected you did.”
And she suspected there was a whole lot more to Keith Hyde than met the eye.
She turned toward him, really saw him. Perfect suit—hell, he and Kenton must shop at the same place. Short black hair, cut close to his scalp, faint lines around those black eyes, the barest hint of gray at his temples, and skin a deep, dark brown.
The guy was older, but his body looked strong and hard. This wasn’t a man who sat at his desk, shoving papers around and dicking away his day.
This was a man who could look and know people.
“I don’t want anyone else to die.” Another honest comment from her. Because she could be honest. Just as she could be selfish. “If he’s not stopped, he’ll just keep burning and killing.”
“True.” His smile flashed. A lot of sharp, white teeth. “That’s why I’m here.”
Kenton shoved his phone back into his pocket. When he whirled to face them, she saw the butt of his gun.
“Watch your step with my agent, ma’am.” Hyde’s warning surprised her.
She blinked and dragged her gaze back to him.
Hyde’s smile had dimmed a bit. His brows lowered and he said, “When folks go after revenge, they can lose control. Sometimes, those people can become as dangerous as the killers I hunt.”
She wasn’t dangerous. She just wanted some peace. Was that so much to ask?
“Good job finding the bag.” Hyde adjusted his jacket. Not that it really needed adjusting. “Frank was right. You do have a good eye for the details.”
He’d been talking to Frank?
Of course he had. Hyde knew the name of her last lover. The guy could probably tell her what kind of toothpaste she used.
“I never go into a situation blind.” Hyde’s eyes bored into her. “If you’re the contact here, I have to make sure you’re clear before we bring you on board.”
Lora wet her lips. “You can trust me.”
Hyde laughed. “No, I can’t. But we can still use you.”
Ah, at least he was being honest, too.
Kenton stopped beside them. His brows were drawn low. “What’s so funny?”
“Not a damn thing,” Hyde assured him.
Kenton’s eyes narrowed, but then he asked, “When’s Monica getting here?”
Hyde glanced at his watch. “Probably a little after sunset. I’m gonna get Ramirez to come down, too. I want a strong team working this one.”
“We’ll catch him.” Kenton sounded certain.
“I’ll be flying to Colorado tonight. Kim’s found four graves out there.” Hyde took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Every time I turn around, there’s another one…”
And they hunted the freaks every day. Day in, day out, seeing the worst that humanity had to offer. “You ever get to save anybody, Hyde? Or is it—” What had he said about the woman? Kim? She’d found four graves. Is it just dead bodies?
Most days, she saved lives, and Lora liked that. Seeing a family safe—best damn part of her job.
Not the adrenaline, though sure, that rush could make you feel fifty feet high. But it was more.
Getting someone out safe—a hell of a lot more.
“I put the killers in cages, and they don’t hurt anyone else.” His head cocked. “That’s saving lives.”
Because if he didn’t stop them, they’d just keep killing.
Her gaze swept to Kenton. What about him? How did he work in this game? And why?
“Call me if you need anything, Lake, and watch your ass. I don’t want another agent going missing, ever, you got me?”
“Yes, sir.”
Another tight nod, then Hyde was gone. He strode away with his head and shoulders up.
Lora finally released a full breath. “He’s kinda scary.” In the chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out way.
“Yeah,” Kenton told her, voice expressionless. “He is.”
She cleared her throat. “What did he mean about an agent going missing?”
Kenton rubbed his jaw. “You ever hear of the Watchman?”
Sounded familiar. It took a second, but the name clicked. “Uh, wait, he was the guy killing down in Mississippi, right? Torturing the women—”
“He made their worst fears come true.” Same flat voice.
He’d worked that case? Talk about your real-life monsters.
Jeez, was there ever any light in the guy’s life? Or was it always blood and death?
“He took one of the agents working the case. Nearly killed her.”
Her heart thudded into her chest. She didn’t remember reading about that in the papers. “Holy shit.”
“We got her back.” Grim now, with some fury cracking his flat surface. “It was the first time I ever worked a case that became personal. He made it personal because that was part of his twisted game.”
She swallowed and rocked back on her heels. Her hands were balled into fists because she had the stupid urge to touch him. To pat his arm or just… touch. Because there was pain there, and if she understood anything in this world, it was pain. “She’s okay now?”
His lips tightened. “We got her back,” he said again, and it really wasn’t an answer.
Screw it. Lora reached out to him. She skimmed her hand down his arm and felt him tense. “Why do you do this?”
“Because someone has to.”
Her fingers curled around him. The heat from his body reached out to her. So warm. So strong.
“What about you?” His stare was steady and deep. “Running into burning buildings isn’t the safest job. Why do it?”
She knew her smile was sad. Because she wasn’t going to give him the truth either. “Because someone has to.”
He’d watched them haul out the body.
What was left of it.